n flesh. This
'mystery,' or divine secret revealed, is great, St. Paul says; 'but in
saying this I am thinking of Christ and his church.' This seems to be
the exact force of verse 32. In other words--this divine disclosure of
the relation of God to man, as realized in the marriage of Christ and
His church, is indeed great and lofty. {215} But, St. Paul continues
in effect, great and lofty as it is, it is a practical pattern for us.
Do ye also, as Christ the church, severally love each one his own wife
even as himself, and let the wife see that she fear (i.e. reverence and
fear to displease) her husband, even as the church stands in holy awe
of Christ.

Wives, _be in subjection_ unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of
the church, _being_ himself the saviour of the body. But as the church
is subject to Christ, so _let_ the wives also _be_ to their husbands in
everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the
church, and gave himself up for it; that he might sanctify it, having
cleansed it by the washing of water with the word, that he might
present the church to himself a glorious _church_, not having spot or
wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without
blemish. Even so ought husbands also to love their own wives as their
own bodies. He that loveth his own wife loveth himself: for no man
ever hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as
Christ also the church; because we are members of his body. For this
cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his
wife; and the twain shall become one flesh. This mystery is great: but
I speak in regard of Christ and of the church. Nevertheless do ye also
severally love each one his own wife even as himself; and _let_ the
wife _see_ that she fear her husband.

There are several points here which need consideration.

{216}

1. There is a rich theology in St. Paul's brief description of the
relation of Christ to the church. First, there is Christ's love for
the church which involves a purpose of entire sanctification for her;
then there is sacrifice, the sacrifice of Himself, for her; then there
is the baptismal purification of the church to fit her for Christ,
which is in fact nothing else than the baptismal purification of all
the individual members of the Christian body; and this is also, as St.
Paul elsewhere te